Wreck-it Ray Final Mix
by TheBlackSnorlax
Summary: My final rewrite of Wreck-it Ray! An 18 year old boy named Ray has been hurt physically and emotionally all of his life, but finds refuge in Litwak's arcade. One day, he gets offered a job there and he couldn't be happier, but that job is a front. Now he must protect the games that he once played. Will he rise to the occasion or fall flat on his face? Slash/Yaoi Ralph/OC.
1. A Cliche Beginning

Light illuminated a dark room as a cloaked figure stepped up to a futuristic video camera placed on a stainless steel table.

He removed his hood to reveal a man no older than 20 years old with caramel skin, spiked hair, a tired expression and a scar below his right eye. A pair of black and blue headphones cradled his neck.

He turned the camera on and began recording.

"Hello. To whom this may concern, someone I once knew asked me to create this video diary. Todays date is February 15, 2014. A lot has happened in almost 2 years. I'm a lot calmer, a lot smarter, and I have a lot more to lose. At this point you're probably wondering who I am and why you should care," the man chuckled before he continued.

"My name is Raiden Samuel Hagane, but you can call me Ray. I'm part of a secret order of protectors that guard the video games of the world from extinction. They call us... Codemasters."

"I'm currently the top ranked Codemaster in the order, but after the mission I'm about to embark on, I'm stepping down indefinitely." Ray sighed as he combed his fingers through his chestnut colored hair.

"This may seem confusing to some so let me start from the beginning. About 2 years ago at X Button High School..."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 <strong>

**A Cliche Beginning **

**Friday, August 24th, 2012, 3:05pm **

School had just let out and Ray was walking down the steps of his high school.

His expression was a bit softer than his older self, but if you looked closely his eyes still had that look of experience: Like he'd seen some serious shit that he'd have to live with until death.

He was looking for his friend, Chad, when he spotted him being manhandled by the captain of the football team. This wasnt their first confrontation, but Ray always aimed to make it their last.

The senior stomped down the steps and approached the scuffle. "Leave him alone, Dimitri!" Ray barked as he shoved the starting quarterback off his friend.

Dimitri was a 61, 17-year-old pale skinned senior with a buzz cut.

He wore his football jersey over a pair of blue jeans that barely fit his bulky frame. He was the unofficial school mascot for trouble.

"Leave, you filthy traitor! This nerd here hasn't paid his fee for crossing my path." Dimitri huffed in a snarky tone.

"Just because I quit the fucking football team doesn't make me a traitor! And last time I checked, this is school property."

"Stay out of it, Ray! This is between me and the underclassman. Unless you want me to tell him what you really are." Dimitri smirked as if he had already won the argument.

"Ok, that is low, even for you. Dont you have anything better to do like play golf with your grandmas cane or some shit?" Ray stepped between his friend and his mortal enemy.

Both boys noticed the sparks flying off of Rays hands and the frost clinging to Dimitris.

"Whats he talking about?" Chad inquired, obviously confused.

Ray leaned in and whispered, "Just meet me in front of L.A. in 5 minutes. I'll buy you some time."

"You done whispering in your boyfriends ear?" Dimitri taunted.

"He's not gay dude! Dont even joke about that!" Chad rebutted angrily.

Ray just happened to be bisexual. How Dimitri knew this? They dated a few months back and Ray dumped him. Of course, both of them kept this a secret... Until now. Ray mentally gulped before he remembered he had the upper hand here.

"I did steal Anna from you last year and then dumped her cold the next day. Not that she liked you for your personality anyways. She was a slut." Ray flipped a spike from in front of his eye, dismissing the sparks from around his knuckles.

"You said you'd never bring that up again! Youre dead!" Dimitri swung at Ray but he ducked the telegraphed jab and swept his feet.

"Later 3rd string wannabee!" Ray quipped as he took off down the street.

"After him!" Dimitri hollered as the team dashed after Ray in blind rage.

* * *

><p>Ray had finally ditched Dimitri and his flunkies and was taking a leisurely stroll down an alley near 5th Avenue.<p>

He was on his way to meet Chad at their normal hangout spot: Litwak's Family Fun Center. He still questioned the name constantly seeing as it was really just an arcade. He preferred to just call it Litwak's Arcade.

"Where'd that traitor go?!" a voice shouted from around the corner.

"Lets try this way!" another kid shouted as the football team passed up the alley and ran off into the distance.

"You'd think that a senior in high school wouldn't have to deal with this crap." Ray thought to himself as he emerged from the alleyway.

Ray might've been a 6'2, 240lb wall, but when you've got 2 strikes towards being expelled from school, you don't exactly want to be caught fighting the entire football team. Just wouldn't look good.

Not that Ray was using this as an excuse to avoid them. He just knows how to pick his battles wisely. But sometimes he sticks his neck out for people and with him that's just asking for trouble.

5 minutes later, Ray finally reached the arcade near the freeway underpass and saw his friend leaning against the doorframe.

"Took you long enough!" Chad groaned sarcastically as Ray walked up.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know that saving your ass had a time limit. I told you to stay away from Dimitri." He crossed his arms in disdain.

"Whoa, bro. He came looking for me. Now come on. I want to get to Heros Duty before the after school rush hits."

"OK dude. Chill." Ray grinned.

Chad was a trouble magnet when it came to Dimitri. The exchanges between the two high schoolers actually caused Rays departure from the football team and his break up with Dimitri; not exactly in that order. Chad opened the double doors and shed some light on the darkness that was Litwak's Arcade as he waltzed in with Ray on his heels.

The owner, Mr. Litwak, liked to keep the lights really dim and have the games light the room with their screens. The floor was also black with glow-in-the-dark green bits so that helped too.

"Its open!" Chad squealed as he booked it for the game.

"Such a kid. No wonder were friends." Ray chuckled to himself as he followed his pal, but was stopped by a commotion coming from Fix-it Felix Jr. between two boys who looked about 11.

"It's my turn, Timmy!"

"I'm still playing, Adam!"

"Whats going on here?" Ray asked as he arrived on the scene.

"He just got here so I'm paying again." Timmy explained.

"No I didn't! I had a quarter on the screen, but you flicked it off!" Adam barked back.

"Is this true?"

"I don't know. Maybe..." the middle schooler mumbled.

"Well this is how I see it. Either you let him take his turn or Mr. Litwak hears about your foul play and unlike me, he might not give you a second chance." Ray explained to Timmy with his arms crossed and a stern look etched on his face.

"Ok. I'm sorry." Timmy said as he shook hands with Adam and let him go first.

"Nice work, Ray." a voice from behind him spoke.

"Mr. Litwak? How long have you been standing there?" Ray queried as he turned around.

"The whole time. You fixed that situation better than Felix would've. Nice."

"It was nothing. No need to thank me."

"Youre too modest. Theres gotta be a way to show you my appreciation." Litwak thought for a moment and suddenly got a bright idea. "Isnt your birthday tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I turn 18. Why do you ask?"

"Well I'm not getting any younger and I could use some help around here. How about I hire you on part-time and let you play for free tomorrow?"

Ray's jaw dropped at the offer. 11 years of coming to the arcade and now he was being offered a job. This had to be a joke.

"Whoa... Mr. Litwak, are you sure?"

"I've been sure for 5 years now. If any kid in here deserves this job its you. And now that you'll be of legal age to work without a permit, it makes it that much easier on both of us."

"Thank you!" Ray squealed and hugged the air or of his new boss's lungs.

"Need...to...breathe." Litwak groaned as Ray released him.

"Sorry."

"Its okay. Just be here tomorrow at 7:30am. Well sort out the paperwork and you can start your shift at 9." Litwak waved Ray off as he headed towards his office.

"Chad! Guess what?!" Ray shouted as he approached his friend, sightly deafening him.

"What is it?! I've almost beat the game!" Chad replied as he gunned down a group of cy-bugs without looking at the screen.

"Mr. Litwak just offered to give me a part-time job here! Isnt that great?!" Ray screeched completely out of character as he grabbed the gun from his friend's hand and shot a cy-bug that had been on the screen since his arrival. "You honestly need to pick your game up..."

Chad was speechless and trying to calculate what just happened as Ray finished the game for him and got the Medal of Heroes.

"Wait wait wait... He just up and hired you?! Why you?! Why not me?"

"Probably because I broke up a potential fight. No biggie."

"Ok. That sounds like you. So when do you start?"

"Tomorrow."

"On your birthday?! Why would you agree to work tomorrow of all days?" Chad asked, shock etched on his face.

"You know you yell a lot, and you act like I have anything better to do. My family isn't even gonna be around to celebrate with."

"What about me? We could have some real fun all day."

"And then you'll leave for Australia that night." Silence overtook the teens immediately after he said that.

Chad and Ray had been best friends since 2nd grade and did practically everything together. Neither of them expected Chads dad, who worked as a head designer for Electronic Arts, to get a promotion that would move their entire family to the Australian branch.

"You okay, man?" Chad queried.

"It's nothing, bro. I'm going home." Ray saluted his friend as he waltzed out of Litwak's and began his short walk to the suburbs, heavy metal blaring through his headphones.

* * *

><p>Ray unlocked the door to his two-story house and kicked his customized Converse off in the doorway.<p>

"Home sweet home." Ray thought to himself as he crashed on the couch.

He had lived alone in this house since his sophomore year. His brother moved out with his wife across the country and his mom paid the bills while she roamed the world on her own, exploring everything she'd ever dreamed of. Although she always did make it home for Christmas, it was pretty lonely in the house most of the time. His dad was just down the street, but Ray never spoke to him. They weren't exactly on speaking terms.

He watched tv for a while before he lost interest.

"At least I have food." Ray stood up, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cold slice of pizza from a box in the fridge.

"I might as well go to bed. Theres no reason to stay up anyway." Ray slowly made his way upstairs and into his room. He sat on the edge of his bed chewing on the slice of garlic dough and cheese.

After he finished it, he leaned back on his matress. Sleep took him quickly afterwards.

* * *

><p>Ray woke in a white corridor.<p>

"Uhh... Whut? Where am I?" He thought to himself as he propped his body up on the wall. Now Ray didn't black out often, but he felt hung over and he was pretty sure he hadn't gotten drunk lately: or ever.

When he regained his motor skills, he began walking down the corridor. Pictures of different men and women graced the pearly walls, but underneath each photo, right before their names, one word was the same. "Codemaster"

As he continued to walk, he noticed a door at the far end of the hallway with am empty frame on it. Hoping for a change of scenery, he sprinted for the exit.

When he turned the knob, he found a white room with a single wooden desk and two leather chairs in the center. The rest of the room was completely barren.

He still felt exhausted, so he sat down in one of the chairs.

"So glad you could join me, Ray. We have much to talk about and very little time..." a voice said from behind him. He turned in his seat to find a middle-aged man, maybe 45, with lightly tanned skin, golden hair down to his shoulders and a futuristic brace on his left arm.

"What is this place? And how do you know my name?" Ray asked him, feeling just a bit freaked out.

Why was he here? And why was a Thor look-alike standing in front of him?

"I know a lot of things, Ray. I even know all about your past self." the man replied as he took the seat opposite Ray.

"If you know me, then you know I'm not patient. What do you want?" Ray asked, suspicious of this mans motives.

"I want to give you a chance to do something good for the things you love: Video Games."

"Huh? I'm lost."

"I'm here to ask for your help. Litwak's Arcade, as well as video games in general, is under attack."

"The arcade? Whats going on?" Ray queried a bit taken aback by the statement.

"I don't have time to explain now, but trust my words. The arcade games you play at Litwak's are not just games. You will soon find my words to be fact. If during the ensuing journey you're ever backed into a corner, let the code guide you and you shall be victorious. Now I believe you have a phone call. I'll leave you to it."

The room and the man faded as Ray's ringtone broke him from the dream.


	2. A New Hero

**Chapter 2 **

**A New Hero**

Ray's eyes snapped open as he dug in his pocket to remove the loud vibrating piece of plastic.

"Ugh... Hello?" He answered his phone, his voice rough from lack of use.

"Happy birthday, dude!" Chad yelled through the phone. "

Ow! I just woke up, you dumb ass... What time is it?" Ray asked his childhood friend.

"Like 7:20 I think?"

"7:20?! Shit! I gotta go!"

Ray hung up the phone and dashed to the bathroom to get cleaned up for his first day of work.

After showering, he ran downstairs into the kitchen to grab a granola bar, but on the way down he felt a draft. He was only wearing his boxers.

"Clothes!" Ray booked it back upstairs towards his closet and slid the door to the side.

He reached inside and pulled out a plain black t-shirt, a black Nerd 4 Life hoodie and a pair of black and white camouflage jeans.

When he got downstairs, he slipped into his Nike gun-metal dunks that were placed neatly by the door and pulled his messenger bag onto his shoulder.

"How bad is it gonna look if I'm late on my first day?! Time to pull out Gretchen." He ran outside to the garage and pulled out a street-modified bike with a motor attached. He started it up and sped off towards the arcade.

* * *

><p>Ray pulled up 5 minutes later right next to Litwak as he was opening up shop.<p>

"Am I late?" Ray wheezed out.

"Right on time and happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"I'll meet you inside." Litwak walked in as Ray locked his bike to a rack and tied a T-shirt around the motor. He didn't want anyone to rip it out while he was working.

Ray made a beeline for his new boss, but while his back was turned, the many characters of the arcade were eyeing him as if he killed someone. Obviously, they didn't like the idea of Ray working there.

When Ray entered the office, Litwak asked him to give him a minute to set up. Ray agreed and Litwak closed the office door.

"You guys need to show Ray the same respect you'd show me. He's my new employee and, he deserves respect. That means no glaring at him or doing weird stuff behind his back. Understand? That means you, Zombie."

"But you've seen his file! He's evil!" A character from Fix-it Felix barked.

"He was never evil and if you don't want to get deleted, you'll trust him. Understood?" Litwak replied sternly as the characters nodded. All but one.

"Where is Ralph?" Litwak asked Felix.

"He walked off when Ray walked in. He looked kinda red in the face."

"Again? Do you think he needs a day off?"

"I'm good!" spoke Ralph from offscreen.

"Just... give me a minute."

"Ok. We open in 30." He informed the wrecker as he left the games to get ready.

Litwak entered his office to find Ray eyeing a picture. "Whatcha got there, Ray?" Litwak inquired as he sat behind his desk.

"Just a picture of me from the first time I came to Litwak's, but I noticed something odd."

"Like?"

"In this pic, Ryu and Ken are in Tappers, but they're Street Fighter characters, right?"

"Are you sure that you're not still half asleep?" Litwak retorted skeptically. It was too soon.

"Your probably right." Ray stowed the picture in his wallet and leaned against the wall. The words the man from his dream struck him hard and he had a feeling the truth would come out soon.

"So what do I have to do?" Ray queried.

"All you have to do is work the snack bar and patrol the floor when you run out of snacks. Fair enough?" Litwak explained.

"Sounds good."

"Welcome aboard!" Litwak shook Ray's hand as he led him out of his office to show him around the snack bar.

_**Meanwhile, in Fix-it Felix Jr... **_

Ralph was sitting on his humongous bed, face cupped in his hands as he thought out loud.

"I do not like Ray like that. It's just a phase. I do not like watching him play my game. He's just another player. I do not put up more of a fight because it makes him smile. I'm always at my best. I do not think his smile is amazing and wonderful and... damn it. I think I do."

"Ralph! Game time!" Felix called from outside. Ralph snapped out of his trance at his best friend's call.

He had admired Ray from afar for a long time. Ever since he was 15 to be exact. Now that he was 18, it wouldn't exactly be wrong to like him, would it?

"I'll worry about my feelings later. Its wrecking time!" Ralph pumped himself up and got ready to greet the gamers with flying fists and bricks aplenty.

The morning passed smoothly with Ray selling out of snack by 11 allowing him to take his break early while Litwak called into his supplier. The entire time he had pondered his dream.

He didn't know if anything that guy said was true. It seemed like another overactive dream.

"If the games were more than games, maybe Ryu and Ken could've been in Tappers? But how would they get there?" Ray decided to scrap his thoughts as he played Fix-it Felix Jr. for the first time that day.

Seeing Ralph for some reason always made Ray smile. If only he knew.

He finished the first two levels easy, but by the third, it seemed like Ralph was speeding up his pace. Suddenly, a bunch of 0s and 1s ran across the screen. It seemed like only Ray saw them, though. If not, no one said anything.

Suddenly, he had a feeling that the game knew the normal path gamers took, so he chose an unorthodox play style.

He started by moving directly under Ralph. Like clockwork, a pie appeared and gave Felix the ability to fix all the windows at once.

In the game, Ralph was thrown off. Gamers never went directly under him. That is why he always focused on the sides. The wrecker realized he left the middle practically unguarded every time he fought the builder. Ray really knew his stuff.

Felix was just as confused. That seemed like a really stupid move, but it worked out in the end. He also realized that Ray had seen something he shouldnt have been able to see.

By the end of the game, Ray was sweating up a storm. The game was never usually that hard. He bowed to the screen in respect not expecting Ralph to bow back. But the wrecker did and right in Rays face.

"Whoa... No more cold pizza before bed."

* * *

><p>As the arcade closed, a group of super villains from several games in the arcade met in a secret server in GCS. The room had a round table with 4 characters in black cloaks seated around it. A huge hologram projector sat in the middle with a dark figure wearing his own purple cloak staring down at the villains.<p>

"Today we shall restart our assault on Litwaks. I'm counting on you... Signing off."

"Yes, Lord Demonfang." The characters chanted as the figure disappeared.

"We all know the plan. So who goes first?" One voice inquired.

"I will and Ill send my general to make sure it all goes smoothly." Another voice added.

"Is everyone ready?" The third voice queried.

"Yes. Lets get started!" The fourth person barked and as they disbanded and a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness.

"Shall I begin, Heihachi?" the figure spoke.

"Yes, General M. Bison. Begin your attack on Game Central Station and show no mercy." Heihachi replied as he removed his hood revealing his asian features and the scowl that was permanently etched on his face. The man was never happy, even outside of his game. He dismissed his general to carry out his task as he summoned a dark portal to his own game.

"This isn't going to work..." A similarly cloaked figure to the side of the room groaned.

"Why do you say that?" M. Bison inquired.

"Because the arcade just got a power boost to security..." The figure replied as he revealed his own gauntlet. "I get the bulletin just like the rest of the order."

"I still don't trust you. Youre just like the rest of them."

The cloaked figure gripped the warriors neck in an instant. "Dont you ever fucking compare me to the rest of those do-gooder ass codemasters! I don't serve you so I don't owe you an explanation."

He dropped the red clad Street Fighter and walked off in his own dark portal.

* * *

><p>"Later Ray! I'll be back before the school years over!" Chad shouted as he left the arcade.<p>

"Later Chad! You better!" Ray shouted as he closed the door.

"Good job today Ray! I could barely tell it was your first day on the job."

"Thank you, sir. I'm gonna head home now."

"Wait. A package came for you today."

"A package? Who sent..." Ray started but was cut off by Litwak.

"I dunno. No return address." Litwak held out a silver box with a red ribbon on top.

"Okay." Ray opened the box and saw a futuristic brace in the shape of a wristband and about the size of an iPod touch with a touch screen and a card-sized slot on the side. "What is it?" Ray queried but before he got his answer he heard a call from the Fix-it Felix Jr. game.

"Mr. Litwak! Were in trouble!" Felix's voice shouted from the console.

"Is it the league?" Litwak inquired as he walked towards the machine.

"Yes sirree! The barriers have been activated but Sonic, Mario, and Ralph stayed behind to help those who didn't make it back to their games."

"I thought wed have more time... I'm on my way! Ray, go home!" Litwak dashed for a door next to his office marked Employees Only and went in.

"Whats going on?" Ray inquired as he ran towards the room.

Deja vu hit as he stared through the door.

It was a plain white room with a computer terminal on the right and a translucent pad in the center.

"I assume you had a dream about a room similar to this one?" Litwak inquired as he entered some digits into the computer. "A man told you about the arcades secret?"

"How did you know?" Ray inquired as he entered the room. He felt a tingle, but that passed almost instantly.

"The man from your dream was the first Codemaster. He's the one who gave you the gauntlet. I'll explain in more detail later but right now I have to go save the arcade." Litwak hopped on the pad and evaporated before Rays eyes.

"I can't let him go alone... He seems way too old to do this by himself." Ray thought aloud as he walked to the screen.

"Then why don't you help him?"

"Huh?" Ray turned around and saw the man from his dream last night.

"Do you want to help him?" The blonde man asked him as he approached the keyboard.

"Yeah, but he asked me to stay here. I don't really know if I can help at this point."

"Put your gauntlet on and step on the pad. I'm going to upload you into the GCS. I think you're ready."

Ray complied by clicking the gauntlet on his arm and hopping onto the pad.

"So the characters in the games are real?" The young man asked his elder as he stood on the pad.

"Yes. As real as you and me."

"And from what I've heard so far, the league is bad?"

"Again, yes. Extremely."

"Who's in the league?"

"Well, for now that question will have to wait. UPLOAD IN 3... 2... 1! Virtualization!"

A flash of light erupted from the pad and Ray disappeared into thin air. Ray felt like he was falling, but as his mind played tricks on him, his clothes changed.

His hoodie became a dark blue muscle shirt, his pants became more metallic and his shoes just turned blue. As his descent into the identical room inside the station broke his trance, he was getting used to the new clothes.

"Why did my clothes change? Not that I mind."

"No time! Youve gotta take out the general they sent." The man's voice echoed from the piece of tech on his arm. A hologram sprouted from the gauntlet.

"It looks like they sent M. Bison. He's just a general, but his bio shows that he's also the final boss of 2 different Street Fighter games."

"I knew that already. I've beaten him before. Wasn't exactly the easiest fight. I never could get Ryu's combos down."

"I thought they'd start strong. Come on!" The door on the side opened and Ray dashed through it.

He ended up in a giant train station where all kinds of video game characters were running from a battle happening on the other side of the platform. A bunch of heroes and villains were unconscious on a wall next to the safe area.

Sonic, Mario, and Wreck-it Ralph were holding off these weird robots that reminded Ray of Combot from Tekken while a man in golden armor was swinging a laser cane at M. Bison next to them. Sadly, their attacks were barely making a dent in the fighting force and more were joining the fray.

Ray was so happy that he was seeing some of his favorite characters from the arcade in person, but wished that it wasn't at a time of crisis.

"You've gotta get in there!"

"How am I supposed to help? I don't have any special powers like they do." Ray rebutted as he stared down the army of robots with mock fear.

"I know you have powers you don't want to use, and in here you don't have to. I've given you access to a new power that's sleeping on your left arm. All you have to do is awaken it."

"Really?" Ray beamed as he looked down on the gauntlet.

"Yes. All you do is tap into your gauntlet for your code word and your armor should appear."

"How do I do that?"

"You'll figure it out. Now go!"

"Alright then!" Ray dashed towards the fight.

"A little help?" Sonic and Mario said simultaneously as they fell back to back. Ralph smashed a few robots out-of-the-way as he reached the duo.

"I got em!" Ralph scooped them up and ran towards Ray.

"Thanks, big guy. We were almost licked. Thank the programmers for my one ring rule..." Sonic sighed and dropped his last ring on his lap while Mario dropped a fire flower into Ralph's pocket.

"Get them to safety, Ralph. I can handle this." Ray shouted as he flipped over the wrecker.

"Right!" Ralph ran towards the group of frightened game characters as Ray stared down the robots.

"Is he gonna fight for us? He's evil!"

"Gene... Talk shit about Ray one more time and my fist will connect with your mouth repeatedly until you're toothless." Ralph growled as he glared daggers at the minuscule Nicelander.

Ray began to knock down bot after bot with swift kicks and punches that were way to flawless to be improvised. One bucket of bolts grabbed his arm, but he spun him into 2 others on his left. 3 others shot lasers at him, but he barely dodged and landed face-down on the floor.

Litwak turned from his fight when he heard Ray growl at a robot as it picked him up and held him.

"Ray! Get out of here!"

"No way! I'm not letting you fight alone! As long as someone needs my help, I wont ignore them!" Ray was chucked into an archway and landed harshly on the porcelain floor.

He braced himself on the wall to help regained his balance.

"Why is he fighting for us? He barely knows us..." a random game character thought out loud.

"This place is a part of me. I protect what I love. I will fight for you, all of you. Even if its to my last breath..." Ray coughed out as he took a fighting stance in front of the bots.

"He really cares about us." One character whispered.

"That ass whooping he just took kind of drives that home."

"He could have left us to be deleted, but he didn't." Another character gasped.

"And all we did was glare at him and sabotage his high scores."

"You did what now?" Litwak glared at the bunch as he dodged a jab.

"They did what now?"

"I trust him."

"Me too."

Suddenly, Rays gauntlet flashed.

A voice echoed in his head. "Son of data, you have been deemed worthy of the name Codemaster Ray."

Ray saw a word scroll across his gauntlet screen as he faced the army of supercharged bots.

Ray threw his arm out in front of himself and shouted, "Codemaster! Wreck the code!"

Ray's gauntlet sparked as rings of 0's and 1's poured out and surrounded him resulting in armor uploading onto his body. It was blue, made of a flexible, high tolerance metal and the helmet had a retractable visor.

"Whoa... I've never felt this strong. It's like a dam burst in my body. No holding back now!"

The bots charged him but he was ready. He ducked a punch from one and backhanded its head off. Two more tried to trip him but he jumped up and kicked both of them across the room. The 3 robots from before shot their lasers at him, but he redirected the blasts into a group of bots next to him.

Ralph and Litwak just watched this massacre from their positions on the battlefield with open jaws and wide eyes. His destruction of the decoys took about 2 more minutes before he ran up to the last bot and punched a hole through its chest.

"I had no idea he was that strong. The gauntlet is only used to unlock potential, but this is ridiculous!" Litwak thought to himself as M. Bison Psycho-punched the elder codemaster into Ralph.

"Mr. Litwak! Whats your damage, dude?!" Ray growled as M. Bison walked up to him.

"You've defeated all of my Combots. Either Wily has gotten soft in his upgrades or you're hot shit!" He spoke as he took a fighting position opposite Ray.

"What's a final boss of your caliber doing messing around in an arcade like this?"

"Why else? Absolute power! Destroying this funky little arcade is just a stepping stone set by the league. The power is limitless!"

"Why would you want to destroy your home? Its kind of awesome." Ray inquired as the uniformed baddie charge him with a fist full of energy. He dashed towards him and threw a thunder charged punch.

Their fists collided causing a shockwave, pushing them back a good foot from each other.

"My only goal is to serve the league and get stronger." He droned as he deflected Rays change ups as if they were pillow-soft. Ray had a hard time reading his opponents movements while on the offensive.

"This makes no sense. Ralph is a bad guy like you. Why would he protect the station while you'd rather destroy it?"

"Ray! He's being controlled! You have to defeat him before he'll go back to normal." The blonde man shouted from the gauntlet.

"But how? My attacks aren't doing a thing." M. Bison took this chance and charge kicked him into the wall. Codes began flowing into Ray's helmet as he crashed to the floor.

"Each Codemaster starts with their own unique weapon. It's the individual's job to make it legendary." A box materialized on Ray's belt. The top flipped open showing only one card in the box. Ray pulled the card out and stared at it.

It had a picture of an ordinary looking katana surging with electricity.

"Code Card! Lightning Katana!" He slid it through the card slot on his gauntlet and it began to glow. "Realize!" He crushed the card and the sheathed blade appeared on his side.

"You're no match for me!"

"Maybe not, but that's not gonna stop me from trying!" Ray unsheathed the blade, charging it with electricity. The villain charged his hands with energy and clashed with Ray's blade.

The lightning fast punches and slashes echoed through the station. M. Bison finally showed signs of exhaustion, but so did Ray.

"Finish it, Ray!" One character shouted.

"Go, Codemaster!" Another resident of the station cheered. Ray readied his blade to strike the League Member.

"Take your best shot! Im not afraid!" M. Bison taunted and threw his hands up.

"Thunder Wave!" Ray stabbed the ground and sent a weak shock to the villains feet before he charged him.

"I can't... Move... Anything."

"Okay then!" Ray ran at the red clad warrior. "Finishing Move! Thunder Max Cleaver!"

He slid under him using the heel of his boot to stop his motion and slashed him up his back.

"He was right... You are tougher than I thought." M. Bison crashed to the ground in a heap. The katana converted back into a card and slipped into Rays box. His armor also disappeared into code and slipped into his gauntlet.

"Way to go, Ray. I knew I made the right choice." The blonde man congratulated Ray. The station was full of cheers and applause. Characters were throwing their hats up and hugging each other in relief.

Suddenly, a black card rose from M. Bison's back. It had a picture of a purple computer chip with a skull drawn on it.

"That's new..." Litwak commented as he accompanied by Ralph approached Ray and the unconscious fighter.

"That must be what they use to possess characters now." The elder codemaster stated as the card disappeared with a gust of wind.

"He should be fine now that he's not possessed. Looks like you won this round, Codemaster." Ralph grinned as he pat Ray's back. The teen grinned back and fell into Ralph's hand.

"Thanks big buddy. You know you're kind of cute when you're not behind a glass screen. Night night..." Ray chuckled as he passed out. He was exhausted.

"He'll be okay too. He just took a serious beating and the conversion to code is strenuous on you the first time." Litwak explained as he had Ralph carry the new protector back to the teleporter room.

Meanwhile, Ralph was cherry red. His crush that he thought would never like him was sprawled across his palm asleep and just called him cute! He wasnt sure what he meant by that, but it was possible that the man in his oversized hand actually liked him back. Better take things slow. Test the waters.

"Wait... Code Restore!" Litwak pressed a button on his gauntlet. Codes started leaking out of it and began fixing up the station.

Benches respawned in place, the walls became smooth and free of dents and kiosks fixed themselves. As everyone went back to their normal routine, a man standing on the rafters held the card that was once sticking out of M. Bisons back.

"Looks like things around here are getting interesting... Lets see how things play out, Codemaster Ray." He pulled out his black gauntlet and teleported away into blackness.


	3. Sugar Rushed

**Sorry for the wait!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

Sugar Rushed

Ray woke up on the pad wearing the clothes he wore to the arcade.

His head was pounding and aches and pains were scattered across his body.

"Ow... What a way to end your birthday." Ray groaned as he stood up, popped his back and walked out the door into the arcade.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Litwak walked up to Ray and handed him a cup of coffee.

"How long was I out?" Ray queried as he practically drained the hot beverage.

"All night. It's 7:30."

"In the morning!? I was only in there for an hour." Ray shouted a bit loud for an early morning.

"Yeah. I don't blame you, though. The first time's always rough." Litwak consoled gently.

"I can feel it." Ray popped even more bones into place.

"I'm closing Litwak's for today so the games can recover. Plus it gives me time to get you up to speed about Codemasters and the League of Codestruction. It's kind of a long story, so you should prepare for that." Litwak explained as Ray leaned against the door frame, waiting for the coffee to take effect.

"I don't have anywhere to be today, so let's hear it."

"To tell my story, I'll have to give you a brief history lesson on video games." Litwak cleared his throat before he began. "The struggle we face now goes as far back as the early 1940s, when college kids began designing simple games, simulations, and artificial intelligence programs as part of their computer science research. Soon after they realized these things were alive. They could think how we thought, they could feel what we felt, they could be created from simple layers of code... And controlled in the same manner."

Ray frowned as his boss kept telling his story. "Video gaming didn't reach mainstream popularity until the 1980s, when arcade video games, gaming consoles and home computer games were introduced to the general public. It's also around the time that the Code War took place."

"Code War? You mean Cold War." Ray corrected.

"Pfft! The Cold War was a bunch of men acting like high school girls. This was a full blown massacre, but that's a story for another time. After the war, that's when the group known as the League Of Codestruction or L.O.C. for short, was formed."

"The L.O.C.? Sounds like a night club." Ray joked.

"The L.O.C. is a group of video game villains and anti-heroes being led by an evil programmer from our world."

"Why do you think it's a human?"

"Because only a human could have as much influence in their world as he does. He twists the dark and bitter feelings certain characters have in their code to get them to do his bidding." He stopped for a second before he continued. "Only few villains actually serve him. Others believe they're in a partnership. That's why the Codemasters exist. To stop him and his dark ways from doing any real damage to the games and their citizens. Any questions?"

"Well... Not really. Sounds really straight forward." Ray stared at his gauntlet.

"Ok then. Now that you know the story, I want you to go to GCS and get used to your surroundings. You may know the arcade from this side, but you need to learn it from that side as well."

"Sounds like a plan." Ray replied as he pressed the teleport button and ran onto the pad.

"Ray, you know you can just user your gauntlet to..." Litwak trailed off as Ray hopped around on the pad.

"Virtualization!"

A bright light consumed Ray as he disappeared again. He reappeared in the Coderoom.

Just as he predicted, his clothes had changed back to their electric blue counterparts. He straightened out his pants and walked out the door into the busy hub of GCS.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile in Sugar Rush... <strong>

Ralph decided to go visit his friend, Vanellope von Schweetz, in her game to get his mind off what happened the other day.

"What's up, stinkbrain? You look dumber than usual." Vanellope spoke to Ralph as they walked to Diet Cola Mountain.

Ever since the Turbo incident, they'd been like macaroni and cheese. Ralph always argued he was cheese, but his cavity companion always called him the macaroni.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Ralph replied quickly with his hands behind his head. "How's your sweet tooth sanctum these days?"

"Hmm... distracted... dodging questions... you're in love aren't you?"

"What?! No! Of course not!" Ralph turned pure crimson red. Vanellope picked up on it immediately.

"Oh my gumdrops! That was a shot in the dark, but I was right! You are!" Vanellope shouted as she glitched all around him.

"Ok ok! Maybe I am! So?!"

Ralph was embarrassed. For a little girl, Vanellope was really smart.

"Is she pretty? Do I know her? Is she tall?" Vanellope squealed as she bombarded him with even more questions.

Ralph didn't know whether or not to tell her, but she was his best friend. If he couldn't talk to her, then who could he talk to?

"Who said it was a she?" Ralph stated as he plopped onto the chocolatey ground.

"It's not? Hmm. Never pictured you as a man's man, but okay! Why don't you ask him out?"

"Are you kidding?! He's a Codemaster!"

"You like our new protector? Oh my glob! No wonder you were blushing super hard when he fell into your hand."

"Who told you that?!" Ralph barked, embarrassed as he was.

"Taffyta, but nevermind that. You need to ask him out pronto!"

"What if he's a homophobe? What if he hates my guts? What if the arcade explodes?!"

"OK OK! Let's make a deal! If I win my next roster race, you ask him out."

"OK... But you can't use any weapons. And yes, glitching qualifies as a weapon!"

"Deal!" Vanellope shook Ralph's hand. Ralph had one thought strike him at that moment. 'What'd I just get myself into?'

* * *

><p><strong>Back in GCS... <strong>

As Ray strolled through the station some characters waved at him and some smaller characters even hugged his leg. Yet others glared, as if they were waiting for him to turn into a zombie.

"Why are they so angry?" Ray thought as he walked through the station.

"Hey you!" A familiar voice called out. It was M. Bison and he was walking up to Ray with a stern look aimed right at Ray.

"Aww shit." Ray swore and walked a bit faster. Too bad the Street Fighter slipped right in front of him.

"Look, it's only my second day and I'm really not trying to get into any unnecessary scraps." Ray froze when he was hugged by the red clad warrior.

"Uhh..." Ray was genuinely confused.

"Thank you... I didn't mean to cause any harm. But the league promised me that they'd give me what I've always wanted: The thing I crave the most."

"Which is?" Ray was slightly uncomfortable, but only due to shock.

Bison let go and replied, "The power to break the evil villain stereotype. Everyone hated me before just because I'm programmed to be a villain. I thought I could use their power to change that, but I was wrong. They all probably hate me more now and I can barely remember anything that I did."

Ray chuckled. "I don't hate you. Actually, I think you're pretty cool."

"You do? But I knocked you around the entire station. I kicked you into a wall. How could you not hate me after that?"

"It's kind of like fighting with a friend. You give it your all while you fight, but once the fight is over, it's all good again."

"You think of us as... Friends?" He choked out.

Ray thought for a second. He actually would consider every game character in the arcade a friend. He'd been hanging out with them for years now without knowing it. "Of course I do."

"Wow... You really are a great Codemaster. Here. Use this if you ever get into a jam." M. Bison handed him a card with his picture on it.

"A Code Card?"

"It's actually a Code Summon. You can only get one of these from us characters. Swipe that during battle and I'll lend you my power. It's the least I can do for my new friend." He grinned and walked off towards his game.

"Look out!" a voice shouted from behind Ray.

The person ran over him and he tumbled towards the door to Sugar Rush.

"What was that? A bulldozer or a small jeep?" Ray thought as he picked himself up.

"Sorry. Are you okay?" A voice called to him as he opened his eyes.

He saw a girl no taller than 5'11 with a black pixy cut decorated with red streaks, bright blue eyes, really pale skin and thin with curves dressed in a denim blue jacket, daisy dukes and boots holding out her hand to help him up.

"I was in a rush to get to Sugar Rush. I'm Sarah. What's your name?"

"Ray." He replied as she pulled him up.

"What's going on in Sugar Rush?"

"Today they just added new DLC characters and I want to see them race."

"They race even when they're off the clock?" Ray asked her.

"They have roster races everyday to pick the avatars."

"I always thought that was random. Mind if I tag along? I've actually never been inside a game before."

"Sure. Let's go!"

Sarah ran towards the monorail with Ray on her heels.

As they ran past a gap in the wall, a shadowy figure was watching them from the shadows.

"Ugh... They're headed for that cavity-inducing game, Sugar Rush." A bulky cloaked figure spat.

"You know the mission. Test Codemaster Ray and see if he's an immediate threat to the League." The slimmer cloaked figure instructed him.

"You know, SC. That is a really stupid plan. Can't I just slice and dice him? That'd be great." The big League member grinned as a few spines poked through his cloak.

"Don't question my methods, you Gameboy Advance flunky. I'm above the Big 4 in the chain of command and you will show me the respect I deserve..." He revealed his gauntlet and teleported away into darkness.

"Heheh... Hack and Slash."

* * *

><p>The monorail took off as they made it to the terminal. "We missed the train. Crap!" Ray shouted as he kicked air.<p>

"No biggie. Don't you have a codeboard?" Sarah inquired.

"Codeboard?"

"Yeah. It's the Codemaster's hoverboard. You are a Codemaster right?" Sarah inquired as she held up a bright red gauntlet.

"You too?"

"Yeah." She pulled out a code card and threw it on the ground. All of a sudden, a bright red hoverboard with her name on it appeared from the card.

"You didn't swipe it?" Ray inquired.

"You don't swipe Code Vehicles. You're new at this aren't you?"

"It's actually my second day."

"Everyone was new at some point. Now check your box."

Ray opened his box and saw a third card. It was the codeboard. He dropped it and a silver board similar to Sarah's appeared with his name on it.

"Let's ride!" Ray took off down the tunnel with Sarah close behind.

When they reached the entrance to Sugar Rush, Ray's mind was elsewhere.

He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop thinking about what happened before he passed out yesterday.

How he fell into Ralph's hand and called him cute. Had to be the fatigue. He'd never have said that if he was at 100% brain power. Even if he did meant it.

"Ok... Who is she?" Sarah asked as she broke Ray of his trance.

"She?"

"The girl you like! Geez! You look like a lovesick puppy!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Ray blushed.

"Don't lie to me. I know that face."

"Ok," Ray conceded, "I do like someone but he'd never go for me."

"He?" Sarah raised an eyebrow to the slip-up.

"Oops!" Ray squealed as he put his hands over his mouth.

Sarah's fangirl switch turned on. "Oh mah gawhd, that's so cute! Who is he? Do I know him?"

"It's Wreck-it Ralph."

"I can totes see that! You should ask him out!"

"Is it that easy?"

"Yeah. The worst thing he can say is no." Sarah replied as she took off towards the track.

"That's what she thinks..."

* * *

><p>The dark codemaster stood under one of the bleachers in Sugar Rush. It was time to enact his own plan.<p>

"Is the general in position?" A deep voice echoed from his gauntlet.

"Of course. I'm always one step ahead... Relax." The cloaked man known only as SC chuckled as he looked out from his hiding place. "This idiot is gonna lose and I'll be one step closer to my goal."

* * *

><p>Ray and Sarah reached the track just as the race was about to start. The stands, as per usual, were filled with assorted candy items and citizens. The racers who were participating in the race had their game faces on and nothing could break them from their trance.<p>

"I'm gonna win!" A red-haired girl named Fey Licorice screamed as she revved her engine.

"Not if I can help it..." Vanellope mumbled as her eyes darted over to Ralph.

"As soon as I fill my part of the bargain, you fill yours."

"Do I have to?" Ralph pouted.

"Hitting you with my cart until you're begging him to go out with you is always an option."

"But how would I find him?" Ralph shot back. He was grasping for straws at this point.

His answer came in the form of a scream that rang out from the other side of the track.

"The league is here!" A random gumdrop exclaimed.

An orange robot with huge claws and a porcupine hairdo slashed one of the rafters in half. The racers abandoned their carts as the menace stomped onto the track.

"I am Beastman! Top general of Dr. Wily and the last thing you'll see before death. I claim Sugar Rush in the name of Codestruction!"

Ray's gauntlet uploaded the enemy's stats.

"Ok. So he was in one of my favorite Megaman games ever for the Gameboy Advance. I remember he always gave me trouble. It took me months to beat him and he's only the second boss. Keep your guard up, Sarah."

"We've gotta stop him!" She barked as they ran over to the monster.

"HALT!" Ray barked as they stood in front of the behemoth.

"So you're the new Codemaster... Ray was it?"

"You're damn right I am! Now get set to get wrecked! Codemaster! Wreck the code!"

"Codemaster, Kick it up!" Sarah shouted as the rings appeared and created ruby red armor around her.

"Kick it up?" Ray queried as his armor shifted into place.

"Everyone's code words are different. Duh."

"Whatever. Code Card, Lightning Katana! Realize!"

"Code Card, Flame Daggers! Realize!" Both weapons materialized in their hands as they charged Beastman.

Ray slashed up, but Beastman dodged left and shot spines at him that he deflected. Sarah jumped off the bleachers and tried to burn him, but Beastman grabbed her and threw her into the stationary karts. Ray took the opening and slashed through his arm.

"Thunder Fang!" Ray shouted as he thrust his katana into Beastman. Sadly, the insulated circuits inside him prevented any real damage from being done and the lightning only sped up his processor. He knocked Ray into the stands as Sarah got back up.

"Blazing Strike!" Sarah charged him from behind, but he deflected her blows easily with his claws. He smashed the weapons out of her hands and across the ground.

"He's tough..." Sarah stated as her daggers turned back into a card and flew back to her.

"We can still take him." Ray informed her as his sword turned into a card as well. "Well damn..."

"We can't summon our code weapons again for a while. By then this place will be sushi."

"I'm not waiting." Ray growled as he pulled out the only other card in his box. Codes streamed around his visor and guided his next move.

"Code Summon! M. Bison!" Ray swiped the card and threw it to the sky. Suddenly, the red clad warrior dropped down next to Ray and crossed his muscular arms.

"Need some help?"

"Yeah. I need you to hold that rabid machine so I can shut him down."

"Can do!" M. Bison grinned and jumped behind Beastman, driving his claws into the dirt. "You're clear!"

"I hope this works..." Ray whispered as he moved his hands in an awkward fashion.

"Umm... Ray? The hell are you doing?" Sarah asked the codemaster next to her as codes curved into his hands. The code converted to pure electricity.

"Using my knowledge of video games to my advantage. Twin Lightning Shiver!" Ray smashed his palms into the ground and dashed towards the trapped bad guy, hands oozing electricity and uprooting the ground. His fists crashed into the robot's chest shooting a concentrated beam of electric energy into Beastman which overloaded his processor and powered him down.

"Not exactly how Kakashi would do it, but it suits me."

M. Bison gave the pair a thumbs up then disappeared into a shroud of code.

"Good work Ray! You looked professional out there!" Sarah patted him on the back as their armor disappeared.

"It was nothing." Ray blushed. "But if it wasn't for M. Bison, I'd have never gotten that shot in."

"That's true. But you were the one that called him. I'll fix the game." Sarah pressed a button and restored the rafters and track to their earlier condition.

"You've gotta teach me that." Ray grinned.

"It's the first button on the left side."

The same card that came out of M. Bison appeared on Beastman. Ray snatched it up and threw it into his cardbox.

"I need to get this analyzed. Litwak should know someone."

"I know a guy that could tell us what it is." Sarah suggested.

"Hey Ray!" a voice shouted from behind him.

"Ralph! Sup, buddy?" Ray had no idea what the wrecker could have wanted from him as he walked into his personal space.

"Hey... I want to ask you something." Ralph sputtered as he stood with both hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"What?" Blood rushed through the CM's cheeks.

"Do you want to hang out sometime?"

"Hang out?"

"Yeah. Just you and me."

"So you want to go out with me?" Ray smirked, somehow picking up on the hint.

"Well... Yeah. I assume there isn't a problem with that." Ralph replied as he mirrored Ray.

"Not at all. Let's say Thursday?"

"Okay!" Ralph hugged Ray tight.

Ray reciprocated almost immediately. Vanellope gave Sarah a thumbs up and the female guardian did the same.

Both Ralph and Ray were so caught up in each other, they didn't notice the angry howl of the dark codemaster as he disappeared from under the bleachers.


End file.
